On May 1, 2014, the administration of President Barack Obama added Chile to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
The program allows any visitor from abroad with an e-passport and an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form to enter America for up to 90 days, no visa required, no supervision.
“It’s a free-for-all for the bad guys, and they know it,” Revolver News noted in a June 16 report.
“These gangbangers, thugs, and professional burglary rings aren’t using this visa to see the Grand Canyon or Disneyland. They’re coming in organized crews, drilling through roofs, tunneling through walls, ransacking family businesses, and shipping millions in loot right back home. And our elected leaders act shocked every time.”
KTLA reported on four Chileans who used the program to enter California not to visit Mickey Mouse but to rob a jewelry store:
“On May 20, three suspects arrived at the store in a white Volvo SUV, where two people conducted surveillance and peered into the store through the front window.
“They entered Dr. Conkey’s Candy and Coffee shop next door to assess the location of any surveillance cameras. They also allegedly inspected the walls that adjoin the jewelry store.
“On May 25, the crew returned to the shopping plaza and brought a ladder and rope with them. The ladder was placed against the coffee shop’s exterior as the thieves cut through the roof to gain entry, authorities said.
“They drilled a hole through a shared wall between the coffee and jewelry shop to access the store’s safe. One suspect had also spray-painted a surveillance camera to cover up the break-in.
“The group ransacked the jewelry store and escaped with over $3 million worth of jewelry, watches, cash and valuables, prosecutors said. They fled the area and transported the stolen jewelry to a home in L.A. County.
“The costly theft had devastated the family that owned the store. Owner Jonathan Youssef said that 25 years ago, his father had built the business from the ground up and had planned on retiring soon before losing everything they owned.
“On June 10, the four suspects were arrested. Some of them were reportedly found wearing the stolen items. A stolen firearm was also located. They were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and two counts of conspiracy to receive stolen property.”
The suspects are Heidy Nickolt Trujillo, 25; Camilo Antonio Aguliar Lara, 31; Sergio Andres Meji-Machuca, 27; and Manuel David Ibarra, 37.
“These were not teenagers burglarizing a local business to score quick cash,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said during a June 13 news conference. “They were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used counter-surveillance measures, a collapsible ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel into a wall, and breach a safe to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise.”
In December, Chileans using the Visa Waiver Program were among international gangs which also included Colombians and Venezuelans who authorities said were behind a series of burglaries of luxury homes in Michigan.
Towns including Rochester Hills, West Bloomfield, and Novi were all prime targets.
Revolver News noted: “There is no sane reason why Chile still gets this free pass. They’ve abused it long enough. American families and small businesses have paid the price in blood, sweat, and stolen livelihoods. DC needs to shut the door, yank the visa waiver, and start putting Americans first. This is just one small fix in a broken system designed to hurt you, the law-abiding American citizen. But it’s a good place to start.”
BREAKING: While Governor Gavin Newsom is protecting illegal aliens from ICE deportation raids, 4 Chilean nationals just pulled off a $3 million jewelry heist in Ventura, California. pic.twitter.com/mB8vb7Njj5
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) June 14, 2025
BREAKING: International gangs from Chile, Columbia and Venezuela are responsible for a rash of high end burglaries — eight in Oakland County in the past week.
Sheriff Bouchard says these transnational gangs are targeting high-end communities like Rochester Hills, West Bloomfield… pic.twitter.com/dHnLyJjuJF — I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) December 5, 2024
